Parliament deliberations were chaotic on Monday after Speaker of the House, Catherine Gotani Hara, summoned Mulanje Central legislator, Kondwani Nankhumwa, to respond to the State of the Nation Address by President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera last Friday.
The Speaker had earlier communicated that the injunction that Nankhumwa obtained from the courts was still in effect and therefore he remains the Leader of Opposition for the time being.
Thyolo Thava Legislator, Mary Navicha, who the Democratic Progressive Party nominated for the Leader of Opposition role, insisted that Nankhumwa is not a member of the party and therefore it would not be appropriate for him to respond to the SONA.
The house has since been adjourned to Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament evoked standing orders by sending four members of Parliament out of the House.
The four have been suspended for two days for ‘perpetrating chaos’ in the August House.
The four are Grace Kwelepeta of Zomba Malosa, Mary Navicha of Thyolo Thava, Sameer Suleman of Blantyre City South East, and Thoko Tembo of Neno North.
Reported by Beatrice Mwape & Olive Phiri.
